On July 24th, 1715, Spain’s treasure-rich “New Spain” Fleet sailed from Havana, Cuba with a cargo valued at fourteen million pesos in silver, gold and jewels. One week into the voyage near present day Vero Beach, Florida they were met by a furious hurricane resulting in the loss of eleven of the fleet’s twelve ships and 700 lives. Only one ship, a chartered French vessel, survived. Fourteen million pesos in registered treasure were lost in one of the worst maritime disasters of all time. The wreckage of 11 ships was strewn over a forty mile area from Ft. Pierce to Cape Canaveral on Florida’s east coast.
For nearly 250 years the sea would hold the precious cargo secret, only occasionally tossing a blackened silver coin or other objects to the shores as if to taunt would-be discovers. Not until the 1960s would these shipwrecks begin to give up their treasures.
To this day, the 1715 Fleet continues to reward those who possess the knowledge, fortitude, and courage to explore the often turbulent and treacherous waters just offshore of what has consequently become known as Florida’s “Treasure Coast.”
Manuel Marcial de Gomar has enjoyed over a 3 decades-long career as an independent grader of treasure emeralds recovered from Spanish galleons such as the Nuestra Señora de Atocha that sank in 1622 and was discovered by the renowned treasure hunter Mel Fisher.
Coin number: 9437
Denomination: 8 Escudo
Reign: Philip V
Mint: Mexico
Assayer: J
Date: NV 1711
Weight: 26.6g
Grade: Fine
Shipwreck: 1715 fleet
Metal: 22kt gold
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